Material spreaders provide controlled distribution of a bulk material, such as a granular material, over an area of interest. Many material spreaders are designed to mount to the back of a vehicle, such as a tractor, a utility vehicle, or a truck. These material spreaders are used in landscaping and construction applications for spreading a layer of bulk material on the ground as the vehicle moves along a path. The ability of the vehicle to navigate the terrain determines the area of ground reachable by the material spreader. For example, the vehicle may not be capable of traversing certain areas of limited space, wet ground, or difficult terrain, preventing the material spreader from distributing the bulk material to these areas.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a material spreader for use with an excavator is provided. The excavator includes a boom having a universal mounting portion configured to receive at least one of a plurality of attachments. The material spreader comprises a hopper configured to hold a bulk material, the hopper including a mounting bracket configured to mount to the universal mounting portion of the excavator. A feeder is mounted to the hopper, the feeder having an inlet for receiving the bulk material from the hopper and an outlet for dispensing the bulk material. A motor is mounted to the hopper and coupled to the feeder, the motor being configured to drive the feeder based on controls received from a user interface of the excavator.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a material spreading system is provided. The material spreading system comprises an excavator including a movable boom. The boom includes a universal mounting portion configured to receive at least one of a plurality of attachments. A material spreader is mounted to the boom and configured to dispense a bulk material, the material spreader including a hopper having a mounting bracket for mounting the material spreader to the universal mounting portion of the excavator. A supply source is configured to supply the bulk material to the hopper of the material spreader.
In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided for spreading a bulk material over a target area. The method comprises the steps of mounting a material spreader to a universal mounting portion of a boom of an excavator, moving the bulk material from a supply source to the material spreader, manipulating the boom of the excavator to position the material spreader over the target area, and dispensing the bulk material from the material spreader.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.